Kendrick Perkins reportedly called out Luka Dončić for his recent performances with the Los Angeles Lakers. Perkins said Dončić isn’t deserving of the All-NBA First Team.
Dončić has played a pivotal role for the Lakers lately, leading the team to a nine-game winning streak. With that in mind, the success is quite contradictory to Perkins’ sentiments.
Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho is now questioning Perkins for his remarks toward the Slovenian star.
Emmanuel Acho Defends Luka Dončić Following Kendrick Perkins’ Criticism
Acho called out Perkins’ credibility after he criticized Dončić. Perkins argued that, though Dončić is an offensive superstar, his defensive skills are lacking. Acho defended the Slovenian superstar, saying the former NBA player’s argument is inaccurate.
Acho points out that Perkins doesn’t understand how Dončić plays and is only watching from his former NBA player perspective.
In a recent episode of “Speakeasy,” Acho voiced his frustrations and called out Perkins.
“Big Perk said that Luka Dončić wasn’t the first-team All-NBA caliber player,” Acho said. “I said, that’s an asinine take. … Big Perk, all that watching you do. Did you watch Luka drop 60? All that watching you do. Did you watch Luka drop 40, then nine, and eight? All that watching you do. Did you watch Luka beat the Rockets? Beat the Rockets again? Get about 8 hours of travel time? Beat the Heat? Then beat the Magic, all that watching you do. Did you see Luka get 5 steals, talking about he don’t play no defense?”
“All that watching you do, what are you really watching?” Acho added. “Just cause you got eyes don’t mean you can see Big Perk. It don’t mean you can see. Now, with that being said, Luka Doncic has already proven he’s not just a first-team All-NBA player. That’s a low-caliber conversation to me.”
.@EmmanuelAcho goes at @KendrickPerkins after calling him out on his podcast 👀
“Just because you got eyes, don’t mean you can see.. What you been watching Big Perk?”
WE ARE LIVE RIGHT NOW ➡️ https://t.co/f4H3dQB55c pic.twitter.com/AYP7jiern0
— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) March 23, 2026
Acho mentioned that Dončić is more than deserving of being this season’s MVP, as the Slovenian star has made a huge impact for the Lakers. Looking at the Lakers’ most recent games, the team has been on a solid run, notching a nine-game winning streak.
Throughout those nine games came a 60-point performance from Dončić, who is now the first player since the late Kobe Bryant’s 60-point game in his final game in 2016 to put up those numbers for the Lakers.
Acho believes that Perkins is overlooking Dončić’s overall performance by focusing only on his defense. He argues that the Slovenian star’s scoring ability and capacity to carry his team clearly prove his point.
